I have got a quick question about the preparation of a fibre glass body. In my body I have a few seam lines from when the body came out of the mould. I have sanded the body down lightly but found that some of the seam lines need a coat of filler to get them right. Can I fill over the gel coat or does the whole body need a coat of primer and then apply the filler over the primer?
Cheers
Russ

I would use 80 grit to get some tooth and then filler to suit..then of course get on with the blocking..You have set this out in the sun for a week or two to allow the body to outgas before painting have you not..??

Sam

__________________
I have tried most all of it and now do what is known to work..

I agree about putting it in the sun for a week or more. Production 'glass parts often are not fully cured. This will cause them to shrink and move as they do reach a cure. The time in the sun will fix this.

That way, the body is stable, and what ever work you do will be permanent.

Should the body be braced for any type of warpage? Just for my information as well.

Dan if you are asking say should you support the trunk lid if it is open, yes on both sides even when it is done, if you only support on side it will sag from the suns heat, as far as just the body goes, you shouldn't have to. as far as the fenders go the back ones can be laid on there side, the front ones, i'm not sure which way to go, if they are on the car I would support them, off the car upside down, but not sure.

if it hasn't been in the sun.....or out in the uv rays atleast......chances are it still isn't fully cured. "hope" isn't something you wanna be saying after all the paint and body is done. it would still let it sit out for atleast a week.

If you have the car assembled, fender and running boards prior to body work for fitment then put it in the sun for as long as possible. This will not only allow the glass to off gas, but will cure the various pieces in the positions they will be installed. Keep in mind that even after the pieces have been painted they will not fit properly. You may have to gingerly force them into final position over several days. Remember heat (sun) is your friend when fitting everything back together. Rough sand everything with 80 grit prior to placing in the sun.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the Hot Rod Forum : Hotrodders Bulletin Board forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name (usually not your first and last name), your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Insurance

Please select your insurance company (Optional)

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.